Cowstrrtjction oe water-wheels



N. PETERS, PHOTO-LITvHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, D C- UNITED; sTAfrEs PATENTcueros.

EDWARD" RoBB'1Ns,-== JR'., lAND lfwM; Astier,- or* BoRDEN'TowN;` NEwJERSEY.

CONSTRUCTION *OF WATER-WHEELS.-

seeeisca'tibnof VLetters Patent Nb. 1,525',1 dated March 25; 1840.'

To all whom t may concern Be it known that we, EDWARD Roiivs, J r., andWILLIAM AsHY, of Bordentown, in the county of Burlington and State ofNew Jersey, have invented an Improvement in the Manner of Constructingthe Buckets of Breast and Pitch-Back Water-Vheels, by means of whichimprovement the air which necessarily remains in such buckets after theyhave received their water from -the fiume is allowed to escape throughopenmgs left in the sole or lining of the wheel for that purpose as thebuckets in their descent are being immersed in the back or vtail-racewater; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exactdescription thereof.

In the accompanying drawing, the buckets d, a, a, are represented ashaving their planes in the radii of the axis of the wheel, and these wegenerally prefer, but they may be in other forms without changing theprinciple upon which our improvement 1s dependent. The portion a, a, aof each of the buckets is affixed firmly to the shrouding of the wheelin the usual manner, but the inner portion Z), b, Z) of each of them 1shinged to the part a, a, a, or is made to turn on pivots in theshrouding, so as to operate as valves, or shutters, extending the wholelength of the buckets. The inner edges of these valves shut against thesole c, c, c, of the wheel, and should when closed, form an angle ofabout 130o with the plane of thel buckets a, a, a, or with the radii ofthe wheel. Immediately below theJ closings of the valves b, I), againstthe sole or lining of the wheel,

we make openings e, e, e, through said sole, or lining, extending alongt-he whole width of the wheel or length of the buckets, which openingsare for the escape of air when the buckets receive their water from theHume; but more particularly when they descend into the tail race, orback water.

el, d, cl, are pins, or stops, of any suitable kind, to prevent theopening, or falling back, of the valves beyond a point at which theywill form a right angle with the parts a, a, a, of the bucket. The linef, f, f, represents the supposed height of the water in the tail race.The arrows numbered l, 2, 3, and 4t, represent the open space betweenthe valves, when open, and moving through back water; and the soling ofthe wheel, and they point in the direction which the water Vruns to fillthe space of arrow No. 4:, while the air escapes, through t-he space '6,arrow 5. The arrows numbered' 6 and 7 represent the spaces', where thevair escapes A from' the'- by pressure and allows the water to pass upbetween it and the soling, so as to lill the bucket completely, whilethe air escapes through the aperture e, in the direction of arrow No. 5,and in this way, the air escapes from each bucket, as they descend intothe back water which instantly supplies its place; but for whichopenings, the air would be carried down, and be forced to descend withthe buckets through thev back water. This carrying down of the air, itmust be manifest, would offer a considerable resistance to the motion ofthe wheel; and that it does so, is well known to us from the mostsatisfactory experiments which we have made. As the wheel turns aroundand the buckets rise above the line of its center horizontallythe-valves will approach, and eventually fall against the soling of thewheel, and be ready again to receive the water from the fiume.

Great advantage is derived from this mode of constructing the bucketswith the valves placed in the position described, and combined with theopenings below them through the soling, not only from the lesseningthereby of the effect of back water, but, also, from its admitting of amuch wider air space in the soling of the wheel than when made ink theordinary way; the situation of the openers ings being such as not toproduce any shedding of the water when the bucket is entirely full.

Having thus fully described the manner in which we construct ourimproved water wheel, and shown how the same operates, we do herebydeclare that we do not claim as of our invention the application ofvalves to bucket, as we are Vaware that such application had been madeprior to our use thereof, but in a way very different from that in whichwe have made it, and not effecting the same object, namely, the allowingof the free escape of air, and the free admission of water into thebuckets, as they dip into the tail race,'or back Water, and thuspreventg the carrying down ofthe airthrough said Water. Y Y

Whatvieclaim,V therefore, as of our in-v vention, and desire to securebyLetters Patent, is-j i f The employment ofvalves in buckets of WaterWheels, such valves having the position herein described, andrepresented in the i accompanying drawing, and being used in combinationWith the openings through the soling ofthe Wheel; that-,is to say saidValves I forming adn-.angle of 130 more or less with the radiating:buckets, or with the radii of the Wheel, and closing against its solingim- 15 mediately abovethe openings for the escape of air, the'wholebeing constructed and operating -substantially inthe manner set forth.`

EDWARDROBBINS, JR.

` WILLIAM ASHBY.

Y Witnesses:

JAMES PAINE,

n GEORGE JUSTICE.

